Is this the death of paper books?

This week, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) unveiled its new e-book reader, the Kindle. As Beth Gaston Moon reported in her preview, the 10.3 ounce hand-held reader will retail for $399.

I had great hopes for this device, not the first to market but certainly the best. The type appears crisp, promising to be as readable as paper print. The home run here for Amazon is the content delivery system. Through an arrangement with Sprint, Amazon will deliver content to the Kindle on demand anywhere within Sprint cell network coverage, without the need to be a Sprint customer.

Other positives for marketing the device include the availability of newspaper and blog feeds via the same network, as well as free access to Wikipedia and a built-in dictionary. A high-capacity battery and the ability to expand memory via an SD card are also good selling points.

For years, tech pundits have pointed to the inefficiencies of the printed book and the inevitability of their obsolescence in favor of e-books. The transition depends, however, on an appealing reading platform to host the content. So far, there has been a vast disinterest in products companies including Sony (NYSE: SNE) have put on the market. Now, according to the New York Times, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), the 500-lb. gorilla of the book business, is jumping into the foray with its own e-book reader, the Kindle.

Like the Sony Reader, the Kindle uses a new type of display to offer the reader crisp text, without depending on eye-wearying backlighting. It will probably be the size and shape of a trade paperback, and priced in the neighborhood of the iPhone (the new price). The Kindle will also reportedly be capable of wireless syncing, allowing the user to download products from the mother ship.

Amazon may just have the clout to convince the publishing world to sell their newest, hottest titles in electronic version for reading on the Kindle. If so, the product has a chance, I'd guess. While I'm in general skeptical of the future of stand-alone products, the Kindle or one of its ilk could find a market for those of us who like to curl up with a good book. Laptops are too clumsy in bed, and our iPhone screens rather small for the purpose.

While I enjoy the tactile pleasure derived from a paper book, if the Kindle can save a few trees and save me a few bucks, I'm willing to give it a go.